Paraprofessional Certifications

ABOUT

You must first be employed by a school district before being eligible to apply for an Educational Aide certificate. The following information is to assist with the obtaining these certifications.

Note: TEA requires paraprofessionals to obtain an Educational Aide certificate every two years.

REQUIREMENTS

• must be a high school graduate or hold a General Educational Development (GED) certificate
• have experience working with students or parents as approved by the employing superintendent
• experience may be work in church related schools, day camps, youth groups, private schools, licensed day-care centers, or similar experience

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Six months prior to the expiration date of your certificate, you will be sent an email reminder to the email address in your TEA educator account.

You must apply and pay online to obtain a new Educational Aide Certificate.

1. Log into your TEAL account to access your educator account.
2. Once in TEAL, click View My Educator Certification Account to log into your Educator Certification Online System (ECOS) account.
3. Once in ECOS, verify your profile information is correct. Then click Continue at the bottom of the page.
4. From the Main Menu on the left select Applications, then Educational Aide Certificate.
5. Follow the prompts to submit the online application and pay the fee of $17. You will not be required to have fingerprints done again.
6. Follow the instructions at the bottom of this page to notify HR that you have applied for your Educational Aide certification. 

If you need assistance with accessing your existing TEAL account, contact TEA at (512) 936-8400 and select Option 2, or submit a help desk request to account access.

NOTIFYING NEISD HUMAN RESOURCES OF YOUR NEW EDUCATIONAL AIDE CERTIFICATE

View the following guide for instructions on how to notify our Human Resources department of your new Educational Aide certificate.